Forbidden Planet has the distinction of being the first movie that ever scared the shit out of me when I was a kid. Even on an old hand-me-down black & white TV, the “Id” monster was total nightmare fuel. For me, that horrifying creation made the flying monkeys from The Wizard of Oz look like a basket of puppies.
And if you don’t know what I’m talking about, shame on you for never having seen one of the greatest science-fiction movies ever made. And if not the greatest, it’s certainly one of the most influential. This wasn’t typical 1950s sci-fi drive-in fodder. With its generally serious tone, cerebral concepts and a huge budget for the time, Forbidden Planet was intelligent, thought provoking and visually spectacular. If not for this one, we may have never gotten the likes of Star Trek, Solaris or 2001: A Space Odyssey.
A perfect marriage of story and spectacle, Forbidden Planet has held up remarkably well over the years, both narratively and visually. Without revealing too much that would spoil things for those shameful few who still don’t know what they’re missing, the film uses Shakespeare’s The Tempest as the foundation for a story about the crew of United Planets space cruiser C57-D, led by stoic commander John J. Adams (Leslie Nielsen). Their mission is to check-in on a colony sent to the distant planet of Altair IV.
When they arrive, however, the only survivors are supergenius Dr. Morbius (Walter Pigeon) and his nubile-but-naive daughter, Altaira (Anne Francis, who might have been this writer’s first celebrity crush). Everyone else was slaughtered 20 years earlier by “some devilish thing that never once showed itself.” Adams ignores Morbius’ pleas for the ship to leave for fear of it happening again. Later, Morbius grudgingly reveals his decades-long research of the Krell, a long-extinct race that ended up being a little too technologically advanced for its own good.
The film culminates in a plot revelation that remains potent today, though beyond the grasp of my tiny mind when I first watched it. But even without its thematic complexities, Forbidden Planet has always been a visual wonder, a triumph of visual effects and elaborate production design. Some of its imagery has since become iconic, such as the C57-D ship and especially Robby the Robot, the latter rendered so charming that he’s billed in the credits right along with the rest of the cast (and as the bonus features remind us, he even enjoyed something of a TV and film career outside of Forbidden Planet).
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| "That bastard just called me Shirley!" |
An acknowledged science-fiction classic, Forbidden Planet was long overdue 4K release. Fortunately, Arrow Video comes through with a great limited edition set. This is one of the few films I’ve seen in every format, and can attest the 4K restoration is excellent (and framed in its original 2.55:1 aspect ratio, which the previous Blu-ray wasn’t). There are also three audio options, a DTS-HD MA mono track, a DTS-HD MA 5.1 track, and best of all, the theatrical “Perspecta” stereo track. The last option is the way this one should be heard, especially regarding the film’s groundbreaking electronic score (the first of its kind)...
…which reminds me…I once bought the Forbidden Planet soundtrack on vinyl, which is an experience unto itself. Not only do parts of it make my dog tilt her head, I had a record player in my classroom during my middle school teaching days, and there was a time I had this playing as kids were filing into class. One of them stopped in the middle of the room, regarded the turntable, and said in total seriousness, “Mr. Anderson, this is worse than that Slayer shit you listen to.” His grave comment had me laughing so hard that I didn’t have the heart to write him up for swearing (or hating on Slayer).
The 4K disc includes an excellent new audio commentary (I always enjoy listening to Kim Newman), while the rest of the bonus features are on an accompanying Blu-ray. Most of them are archival and have been featured on previous Blu-ray and/or DVD editions, but they’re pretty substantial and very entertaining (see below). Forbidden Planet fans will find a lot to love here, the technical aspects alone making it worth the upgrade. As for those who’ve ever seen it, here’s a great chance to end your shame.
EXTRA KIBBLES:
NOTE: Free Kittens Movie Guide was provided with a promo disc for review purposes. Physical supplemental material included with the final product (booklets, artwork, inserts, etc) were not available for review.
UNEARTHLY AURA - This is a new appreciation of the groundbreaking (and really bizarre at the time) electronic score by Bebe & Louis Barron, by music historian Neil Brand. Aside from the commentary, it is the only totally new bonus feature.
ARCHIVAL FEATURETTES - Watch the Skies!: Science Fiction, the 1950s and Us is an hour-long retrospective documentary about sci-fi films of the era, and features interviews with some of the genre’s best-known directors; Amazing!: Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet is a very entertaining look back at the film’s production and enduring impact; Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon looks back at the creation and construction of the film’s most endearing character.
THE INVISIBLE BOY is a second feature film featuring Robby. A fun little curio.
“ROBOT CLIENT” is an episode of the Thin Man TV series featuring Robby, and another strong argument that The Thin Man should never have been made into a TV show in the first place.
EXCERPTS FROM MGM PARADE
DELETED SCENES AND LOST FOOTAGE - The latter largely consists of alternate special effects shots.
SHOOTING SCRIPT
IMAGE GALLERIES
TRAILER
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